The car was gone from it’s place, the sketchbooks and pencils disappeared from the kitchen floor. The house looked as though Ravi had never been there. The only exception was the two wine glasses on the table and 6 empty bottles on the kitchen bench. Ken held onto the edge of the table as his eyes swept around the empty room. Beneath the rolling sensation of sickness, a sour note of worry began to rise to the surface.

If Ken was this hungover now, when Ravi had left was he even safe to drive? Was he crumpled in a valley over the edge of a mountain road?

He pushed off the table and struggled back to his bedroom. His phone was discarded on the floor, tossed into a corner carelessly. He scooped it up, his head swirling unsteadily as he straightened. When everything settled back into place he clicked the backlight on. Nothing; for the first time in quite a while Ken wasn’t happy to see it empty.

His finger hovered over the Contacts App. He clicked it, knowing that the swirling in his stomach was intensifying. Sliding down through his few contacts he found Ravi’s number. Another long hesitation. Should he call or text? He hated calling but would a text even go through if Ravi was driving? If he called, would it be awkward? Ravi had driven off without word for a reason, did Ken have any right to subvert that with a call?

He gave a loud groan to the empty house and shuffled over to sit on the edge of his bed.

Call.

Don’t call.

Call and be a stalker.

Don’t call and have Ravi die in a ditch from drunk driving.

Call. Ken’s finger came down on the icon before his brain could fully catch up. In a panic he simply stared at the screen.

Connecting…

“Hello?” Ravi’s usually deep voice was tinny through the phone speaker, almost inaudible. “Hello?”

Ken jumped in shock, small amounts of relief edging back the nausea. He switched the loudspeaker on.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” Ravi’s voice came again, now loud and clear.

“Uh,” Ken floundered. “I was just calling to see you were OK.”

“Ken?” His voice was lighter, almost shocked.

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure when you left.” Ken could feel his face begin to heat up, it had nothing to do with his hangover. “I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m fine. I’m just driving back into the city.”

Silence. The crackle of the phoneline and soft hush of Ravi’s car on the highway. Ken put a hand to his burning cheek.

“OK, good. Drive safe.”

“I will.” The only word to describe Ravi’s voice was curt.

“Uh, bye.”

“Bye.” Something that sounded like a sigh, maybe a laugh, and Ken hung up.

Ravi wasn’t dead in a mountain valley. Good. Now Ken was left wishing that he could be.

A small sparkle of white, like the glimmer from a diamond, it sparked in Ravi’s chest and his face was split with a smile. Tossing his bag onto the couch he moved to the kitchen for a bottle of water. His head was starting to ache again, the painkillers wearing off after the drive. He would take a few more and sneak off to nap until Hyuk arrived.

The apartment door banged open and Ravi winced.

“Kim Wonshik!” Hyuk’s voice cut through his headache with lethal force. Ravi gave a groan and clenched his eyes shut. “You were supposed to be home yesterday! You were supposed to come down to the office!” Hyuk was getting closer, the volume of his voice only pounding harder against Ravi’s head. “Instead you snuck off to the mountains! You didn’t even call!”

Hyuk paused, seemingly finished his tirade. Ravi let one eye crack open.

“AND NOW YOU’RE HUNGOVER!” Hyuk shouted for full effect. Ravi cringed and clapped his hands to his head.

“Shhhh, please,” Ravi moaned, opening one eye again. “Please, Hyuk, find me some painkillers. Help me.”

“You make it sound like you’re dying-” Hyuk covered his mouth with his hand, a stricken look on his face. Ravi gave a half-hearted shrug and waved him away.

“Pills, I need pills.”

“You need to learn how to keep appointments,” Hyuk grumbled to himself as he searched the cabinets. “You need to at least call me when things change.” He set the painkillers and a glass of water down for Ravi. “What came up, by the way? Other than copious amounts of alcohol. Why the sudden expedition to the countryside?”

Ravi downed the pills and scrubbed at his face. The point Hyuk had made on the phone, about Ravi’s wealth now coming from the ability to market himself had dug into his brain. He had been able to ignore it while drawing, swooning or drunk, but when waking that morning and feeling wretched about everything, the obligation to do the interview seemed to have gained power from his weakness. It had also been the exact excuse he was looking for after having an episode at Ken’s house. And the strange energy from the night before.

“Just this and that, I got caught up. I forgot, that’s all.” Ravi moved to collapse on the couch. Hyuk gave a disbelieving snort and his eyes followed Ravi closely.

“Tell me again about this wilderness man?” Hyuk leant onto the bench, pinning Ravi with his gaze.

“Wilderness man? Have you been talking to N?”

Hyuk waved the question away, clearly not to be deterred.

“His name is Lee Ken, he lives in a house above town, he’s a struggling artist.” Ravi sighed, shifting to lie down.

“Lee Ken.” Hyuk wondered, eyes narrowing slightly. “Has he asked you for money?”

“No, Dad,” Ravi grumbled, rolling to get comfortable.

“Don’t sleep!” Hyuk commanded, abandoning the topic to come and pull Ravi back to a sitting position. “We have work to do. Go and shower and change, you smell like a winery. When you’re ready we’re heading to the office.”

Ravi gave a drawn out whine and cupped his chin in an attempt to appear cute. Hyuk cuffed him on the shoulder and dismissed him to the shower.

“And don’t think I wont come and haul you out of that shower if you fall asleep in there!” Hyuk yelled at Ravi’s disappearing ba